Chocolate Making

[Liketobake]

Just wondering if there are any chocolate makers here? If so what kinds of chocolate do you make? How long have you been making chocoalte? Details please.:D

[she_cookie]

home made chocolates is one of my favorite deserts :)
My mom used to make lots of it when I was little.
The main 'step' when making chocolate is the melting process, in my opinion. It requires attention so the chocolate won't stick to the pan...
I love home made chocolate made with sour cherries. It gives the chocolate a nice taste.
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[Mancook]

I haven’t tried on making one. I just joined this forum so that I can find out more about them. I hope that some members can share their favorite chocolate recipe, so that I could make one. Chocolates are one of my favorite’s snacks!

[gwydion]

I make chocolate treats for the whole family for Christmas. Typically I take dried fruit and coat them with chocolate. To make the chocolate a little easier to handle I tend to buy very dark (at least 80% cocoa solids) then melt it with butter and a little cream in a bain-marie (double boiler) allow to cool a little then dip the fruit pieces in the chocolate a couple of times to give a nice thick coating. Allow to dry out, place in a nice box and give out as gifts. They always go down a treat and have people clamouring for more.

[LeMagnifico]

i know i know i am weird. I am not a fan of chocolate.
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[fahriye]

I make chocolate treats for the whole family for Christmas. Typically I take dried fruit and coat them with chocolate. To make the chocolate a little easier to handle I tend to buy very dark (at least 80% cocoa solids) then melt it with butter and a little cream in a bain-marie (double boiler) allow to cool a little then dip the fruit pieces in the chocolate a couple of times to give a nice thick coating. Allow to dry out, place in a nice box and give out as gifts. They always go down a treat and have people clamouring for more.

That sounds great Gwydion, I am going to make some for Christmas for family and friends.

[axeray]

Now I want to make them for Christmas :P

[nicoleSmith08]

I think everyone loves chocolates and I'm one of them.. And I keep on thinking on making one someday..

[Learncoco]

I make chocolate treats for the whole family for Christmas. Typically I take dried fruit and coat them with chocolate. To make the chocolate a little easier to handle I tend to buy very dark (at least 80% cocoa solids) then melt it with butter and a little cream in a bain-marie (double boiler) allow to cool a little then dip the fruit pieces in the chocolate a couple of times to give a nice thick coating. Allow to dry out, place in a nice box and give out as gifts. They always go down a treat and have people clamouring for more.

sounds yummy to me gwydion, this is what I am looking for. I should try out a day and see if it can be my valentine's day present.

[neatza]

I love to make chocolate pie, but you should know that chocolate has aphrodisiac properties and it is the best alimentary anti depressive.

[conilask]

That sounds great Gwydion, I am going to make some for Christmas for family and friends.


Glad to hear you're using this: I plan to keep it much more aggressively up-to-date than has been the case in the past, but don't hesitate to let me know if you find errors or need clarifications.

[samue1eb]

Last Christmas, I had a lot of fun making homemade truffles for people for gifts.

[awesomeapril]

I love to make chocolate pie, but you should know that chocolate has aphrodisiac properties and it is the best alimentary anti depressive.

It also has a butt load of sugar. Even though it has it's strong points compared to other sweets, it is by no means a healthy food. It also depends on the type of chocolate. Milk and white, if you can even call white chocolate chocolate, have a lot of sugar and milk solids and less of the cocoa solids which have some positive properties.

[awesomeapril]

I love chocolate, even if it can be TEMPERmental. ;)
If you didn't get the cheesy pun you aren't working with high quality chocolate. I love chocolate for it's endless flavor combination.

Tips with chocolate

Chocolate and water DON'T MIX (unless you are making a ganache, but you have to do it right) . Make sure all utensils are dry

Temper your chocolate if you are using it for dipping, or making molds. Its not that hard here is my favorite way;
melt chocolate down completely in a water bath making sure no water actually touches the chocolate. Do not use excessive heat! Dark chocolate melts completely around 120F.

Remove from heat and add a block of new chocolate. and stir consatntly until it reaches 89F. Remove the block. At this time it is ready for use. Test the chocolate on the back of a spoon before using to see if it has tempered correctly. If it has not the chocolate will appear streaky, won't set up quickly (5 min) and will not have a good shine. If this happens melt the chocolate down again and start over. When using reheat to 89 once it reaches 82. If you heat it past 90 or so test it again as it may have gone out of temper.

High quality chocolate is a beast, but it's worth taming.

[jackspin007]

I take dried fruit and coat them with chocolate. To make the chocolate a little easier to handle I tend to buy very dark.